REVIEW: Nashville’s Carver Jones Releases Concept EP ‘8’
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY NINA KUDLACZ ☆
CARVER JONES IS FACING THE MUSIC WITH NEW PROJECT 8—After months of releasing singles and teasing his brand new EP, the Nashville-based indie artist is releasing his concept project titled 8 on August 7. Just one day after the release of the EP, August 8, Jones returns home to Omaha, Nebraska to kick off the MAHA music festival.
Ahead of the full EP’s release, Jones put out four singles—“SIGN OF THE TIMES” on March 30, “BEST FRIEND” on May 7, “GOOD TIME” on June 1 and “WOMAN, MY LADY” on June 14. Jones began the project with the goal of dialing in on a genre, but instead found himself exercising creative freedom, launching his discography into a more expansive era. Though the conceptual idea of fusing genres and influences is not new to Jones, it’s something he’s always searched for when writing. With inspirations that span many different sounds, it’s no surprise Jones found a way to incorporate them all.
But before 8 was Jones’ work in progress, it was a symbol throughout his life. Jones said the entire idea for the project came from a dream he had: “I was desperately trying to get to the 8th floor and through the hazards around me I couldn’t find a way. From that point on the number 8 kept popping up in my life in unexpected ways. I made this project living in a house that was addressed 808. 8 was the obvious solution for everything that was going on in my personal and creative life,” Jones states in a recent press release.
8 opens with the first single, “SIGN OF THE TIMES,” a gospel-inspired, guitar-driven track that is true to Jones’ classic sound. The first single and the EP-opener, this song beautifully introduces listeners to the overarching message of the project. Its hopeful lyrics describe Jones’ longing and chasing for a lover.
The second track, titled “8 DAYS,” slows the EP down with melancholic melodies and a bursting chorus. The song features lyrics on theme with the project’s theme, such as “Some things will never change” and “I’ll wait forever if you ever come around.”
In a sharp lyrical juxtaposition, the second single “BEST FRIEND” slightly strays from Jones’ heavier rock roots with its light and harmonic sound. On this track, unlike previous songs, Jones gushes over his relationship with a lover.
The third single, “GOOD TIME,” continues the project with an upbeat tempo and some pop influences before transitioning into 8’s most recent single “WOMAN, MY LADY.” This track sneaks in jazz, hip-hop and R&B influences beneath passionate and romantic lyrics.
With groovy guitar licks and standout backing vocals in the chorus, “FACE THE MUSIC” advances the EP along, bringing even more vulnerability and versatility to the project. In less than three minutes, the second to last track “SAME OLD STORY” displays emotions of disappointment, heard in the catchy guitar lines and raw lyrics.
Jones breaks himself wide open with the final song on the project, “LAST CIGARETTE.” With a title very on brand for Jones and heavy, uncharted vocals, the closer begins soft and slow, unfolding in the chorus before reeling itself back in throughout each verse.
8 proves Jones’ variety and evolution as an artist. Writing with no boundaries or limits, Jones exercised his creative freedom and established himself as a multifaceted artist in the modern music scene.
